Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, tape libraries 100 are typically mechanical devices that include a multitude of tapes for storing data. A tape library 100 includes slots 110A-110L (commonly known as “storage elements”) for storing tapes, and tape drives 192, 194 (“data transfer elements”) for reading data from and writing data to the tape library 100's tapes. The tape library 100 also includes an apparatus (commonly known as a “medium transport element”), such as a robot, for moving tapes around the tape library 100. For example the robot could retrieve a tape from its slot 110A-110L and insert the retrieved tape into a tape drive 192, 194 when an application 131, 132, 141, 142 requests to access the tape. The robot would then return the tape to a slot 110A-110L once the request for writing the data to the tape has completed. A management apparatus, also commonly known as a library controller, associated with the tape library 100 tracks the associations between tapes and slots 110A-110L.
Various parts of the tape library 100, such as the physical storage slots 110 and the medium transport mechanism, among other things, may be inside of an enclosure 220. The tape library 100 may include a door 210 that an operator 150 can use to enter the tape library 100's enclosure 220. For a large tape library, the operator 150 may be able to walk into the enclosure 220. For a smaller tape library, the operator 150 may be able to place a hand or a finger into the enclosure 220. For safety reasons, typically, the tape library 100's functions stop when the door 210 is opened.
An import/export (I/E) station 120 is provided to enable the tape library 100 to continue operation while an operator 150 inserts or removes a tape, keeping the door 210 closed. I/E slots 120A-120F (commonly known as “I/E elements”) are typically associated with an I/E station 120. An operator 150 can insert a tape by, for example, rotating the I/E station 120 outwards, placing a tape into an I/E slot 120A, and rotating the I/E station 120 inwards. To remove a tape, robotics will physically move the tape from where it is located in the tape library 100 to one of the I/E station 120's I/E slots 120A-120F. The operator 150 can remove the tape from the I/E slot 120A-120F, for example, by rotating the I/E station 120. Inserting tapes into a library 100 is commonly known as “importing” and removing a tape from a library 100 is commonly known as “exporting.”
The drawings referred to in this brief description should be understood as not being drawn to scale unless specifically noted.